The Current

Are we seeing Canada's strong job market through rose-coloured glasses?

Statistics paint a rosy picture of Canada's job market, but that's not the case in some parts of the country, and wages aren't going up the way economists expect they should in a tight labour market. We speak to Carolyn Wilkins, the senior deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, about what's being done to solve the puzzle.

Bank of Canada expert explains why wages not increasing as expected, despite low unemployment rate

Carolyn Wilkins, senior deputy governor at the Bank of Canada, left, spoke to The Current about why wages don't seem to be increasing as expected, despite a strong job market. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)

Read Story Transcript

With unemployment rates recently hitting a 43-year low, the statistics would seem to paint a fairly rosy picture of Canada's job market.

While employers in some parts of the country say they have a labour shortage, Canadians elsewhere will say it's proving very difficult to find work. And as of November, hourly wages continued to be on the decline across the country — despite the fact experts have been expecting the opposite to happen. 

The Current's guest host Connie Walker spoke with Carolyn Wilkins, senior deputy governor at the Bank of Canada, to figure out what's going on in the Canadian economy.

Click 'listen' near the top of this page to hear the full conversation.


Produced by Julie Crysler.